A BLUE AND WHITE 'HAN XIN' JAR AND COVER Chongzhen Of octagonal baluster shape, the exterior deftly painted with a continuous scene of Han Xin on horseback, chased at full gallop by Xiao He and an attendant carrying a banner within a mountain landscape, all between a band of shaped floral panels around the neck and pendent plantain-leaf lappets above the foot, the domed cover painted with two leafy floral sprays and surmounted by a bud-shaped finial. 35.8cm (14 1/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 明崇禎 青花蕭何月下追韓信人物故事圖八方蓋罐 Provenance: acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, in 2001 (collector's notes) 來源：獲得于倫敦古董商R & G McPherson Antiques，2001年（藏家筆記） The scene depicted on the present illustrates the famous episode of Xiao He Chasing Han Xin under the Moonlight, first recorded in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (史記) of the Western Han dynasty. Han Xin 韓信 (230-196 BC) was a distinguished military general who served Liu Bang 劉邦 (256-195 BC) during the founding of the Han dynasty. Initially overlooked, Han Xin was assigned a lowly post overseeing food supplies, which left him dissatisfied. He attempted to leave in secret under cover of night, but Xiao He 蕭何 (257-193 BC), one of Liu Bang's chief advisers, recognising Han Xin's extraordinary talent, immediately pursued him and persuaded him to return. Following this, Han Xin was promoted to the rank of general. On a late Ming vase, this episode would have held particular resonance, symbolising the recognition of talent and the ideal of loyalty rewarded: an aspirational message for scholars and aspiring officials seeking advancement through merit. The same motif can be found on a baluster vase, c.1635-40, illustrated in Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria VA, 1990, p.78, no.37. See also a blue and white brushpot with the same motif, Chongzhen, which was sold at Bonhams London, 9 November 2017, lot 281. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing